Hurricane Amanda

 Three thousand three hundred and twenty-nine miles from the East Coast in Georgia to the West Coast in California :)

 After we parked in San Diego I slept for a two hours and then we were up and being productive. I was staying with a Sergeant Major, I didn't want him to think I was a pussy ;) Hey I was raised by veterans- these are my people. Of all the different types of people in the world, I am most comfortable around service members. I understand their language.

 We took my bike down to Eason at House of Motorcycles in San Diego. My mechanic in El Paso told me I would need a new tire soon. Also I lost a bolt in my kickstand somewhere along the highway. I really needed that replaced so I didn't have to hunt down a rock to keep my bike and heavy bags from falling over when we stopped for fuel. And San Diego was the logical place to get it because we were gonna hang out with Margie's bad ass cousin all day. Those guys really took care of me. I explained that I was only in town for the day. They don't service Ducatis so they couldn't fix my leak, which is fine since I really would like Vic or Daniel from NPRDucati to fix it back home. But they set me up with a tire and bolt for a reasonable price. Nolan (the mechanic who serviced my bike) even noticed that I was missing a clip on my chain and fixed it for me. I was really happy with my experience there, if you need work while you're passing through San Diego, I highly recommend them.

 After dropping it off we went to lunch at Cafe Elysa. I ordered the eggs benedict and they were delicious. I understand that all their ingredients are locally sourced. Eggs, bacon and sausage, watermelon and strawberries,  everything was grown or produced in California. The cafe was a block from the Pacific Ocean so we walked to their and I got to put my toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life. I felt accomplished. I have always told myself that I could accomplish anything I set my mind too, and I'm really starting to believe it :)

 We returned to Calvin's home where we loaded up the surfboards. And headed back out for the beach for my introduction to surfing!!!! Now, in case you are reading this and you don't know me well, I have a crippling fear of being in water when I cannot see the bottom. When I'm swimming in deep water, I start to hyperventilate, my muscles stop responding to commands from my brain...it's not a pleasant experience. But, I figured if I could ride 800 miles in a day on a motorcycle, cross the country on bike, and all that entails, there were worse ways to go than having a creature swim up from the depths and eat me. And somehow I was able to master my fear, at least for a little while. Not that I'm fearless, by any means. But I'm certainly different, changed.

 Plus it helped that Calvin truly is a badass. He has a Purple Heart and a slew of other awards from his service. I wanted to do a whole paragraph on just his life, because he's had a fascinating, albeit tragic career, but he asked me not to. I've found members of the service are often hesitant to allow others to brag on them. I want to tell the world some of their stories because I feel like the majority of the population doesn't know what's it's like to be in the military. I certainly didn't (even though my parents and several other people in my life served), we just don't talk about it. I knew this trip would change my perspective of my country. The landmarks and wonders of the world have been everything and more than I expected. But I wasn't prepared to learn so much about the military.  The lifestyle, the sacrifices,  the rewards. I am soooo glad we are raising money for The Wounded Warrior Project, because it makes it easy to bring the military into my conversations with people. I have learned so much. I get to talk to people about the military who aren't exposed to military in everyday life.

 If you want to learn a little about Sgt Maj, you can read here, but know that he is so much more than even that bio could describe. I was truly honored to spend time with him, learn from him, and  I knew the Loch Ness and Great Whites would sense Calvin's powerful presence and stay away. (I felt safe with him.)

 The first Pacific Hurricane of the season was sitting off the coast of Southern California. The National Weather Service named her Hurricane Amanda. I shit you not. She did not come to land, and she didn't push up crazy waves to surf on. The National Hurricane Center said "Amanda is now the strongest May hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific basin during the satellite era." She reached a category 5 in strength with winds up to 155 miles per hour. I should stop by a track and see if I can get up to that speed just for kicks and giggles. Wellington would top out, but maybe I could convince Margie to let me borrow her Duc Hyper 1100.

 I didn't stand up on the surfboard. I barely got to where I could balance without flipping my board over. I caught two waves for a few seconds and immediately fell over. But I stayed in the water and tried until my muscles started betraying me by cramping up. Surfing is one of those things that people make look easy. It was an effing workout. Calvin caught a few waves, the three of us smoked cigars on the beach. I walked a little and found a cool rock to take home to my mother, Margie and Calvin caught up more, as families do when they spend years apart :) 

Lastly,  I did get to try In and Out Burger. So many people told me to try it that I caved on my commitment to only eat at mom/pop restaurants. We added some jalapeños Calvin had for extra kick. It woulda been awesome without them, but y'all know I like spice ;)

Next update will be about our ride up the Pacific Coastal Highway!

~Amanda Terranova

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